Rug hooker



Nav. 2 192e. 1,605,711

J. E. GARRETT y RUG HOOKER Filed Feb. l, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l ez@ f /6 2x2 72 f4 0 f/ a@ 1 l :in a n 22937 flan/1111,'.

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J. E. GARRETT aus HOOKER Nov. 2 192e. L 1,605,711 l Filed. Feb. 1. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 2 1926. 1,605,711

' J. E. GARRETT RUG HOOKER y Filed Feb. 1. 192e s sheets-sheet 3 Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

- UNITED sra'rras refrain PATENT OFFICE.

RUG- HOOKER.

Application led February 1, 1926. Serial No. 85,333.

The invention has relation to machines for working rugs or mats known as hooked or drawn-in rugs, having a base of suitable fabric, such as burlap or hessian. This fabric base is of desired size, being either plain or having a pattern to be' workedin the rug, the edges of said fabric base being hennned or bound and the fabric stretched tightly in a frame made for the purpose. The material for working the rug, may be yarn, or cloth unraveled or torn into strips of suitable length, said material being worked through said fabric in the form of loops, until the rug is finished and the pattern completely worked out, when none of the fabric base will remain visible.

In the use of the old fashioned rug hooker, the worker draws the loops up through the fabric base towards the person, the loops in the present case however being pushed through the fabric base away from the person of the worker, the work being done much more quickly and evenly.

The invention is designed as an improvement upon the device of the U. S. Patent No. 1,409,700, in that all of the adjustment features therein disclosed are retained in a machine of extremely simple design.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention Figure 1 is a side view of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same; Figure 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the invention; Figure l is a front view of the invention; Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the blue blade and its base boxing; Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are side views of the invention, showing the parts in the positions assumed in operation during the several steps; Figure 9N is a detail perspective view of the threader; Figure l0 is a side view of a modified form of device; Figure 11 is a plan view of the same; Figure 12 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the same.

In these drawings, the numeral 2 designates the needle bar, having at one end an angularly bent tang upon which is mounted an angularly disposed handle 3, and at its other end carrying a 'needle 4l, the point portion of which projects beyond said needle bar and the rear -portion of which has an eye 5. i

Mounted upon the needle bar toslide back and forth is a combined presser foot and looper blade member 6, whereof the body 7 has laterally bent ends or flanges 9, and 10, having apertures 10 slidably engaging said needle bar, theforward or outer of said flanges 9, being longer than the other flange and adapted to serve as a handle whereby the presser foot and looper blade member may be reciprocate'd upon the needle bar, the needle bar and needle being reciprocatory relative to the presser foot andlooper blade member as will appear.

yThe looper blade 11 at its rear end is downwardly bent to form a hook 12, which is engaged with an aperture 13 of said body 7, a strap metal spring 111 having its rear end also downwardly bent to form a hook 15, which is engaged also with said aperture 13 beneath said hook 12, the body of said spring resting upon said body 7 (which is provided with lateral lugs to prevent lateral movement of said spring) and at its forward end being upturned into engagement with the lower surface of the looper blade, the latter being thereby held upwardly against the lower surface of the needle. The aforesaid hooked engagement of the looper blade and its spring with said aperture is adapted to prevent escape thereof from said aperture by longitudinal movement thereof in either direction, lateral movement thereof being resisted in one directien by said spring and in the other direction by engagement of the looper blade with the needle. l

The presser foot 16 is formed of wire, whereof the lateral branches 17 are at their rear ends bent downwardly at 18 adjacent the handle flange 9 of body 7 and adjacent the sides of needle bar 2, being then bent to form longitudinal rear extensions 19 parallel with the branches 17 and engaging perforations 20 of said flanges 9 and 10, being then upturned at 21 adjacent the flange 10 to securely hold the presser foot against movement relatively to said body 7, excepting such spring movement as the wire of which the presser foot is formed admits of. One of the upturned ends 21 is extended upwardly beyond the other to form a coil 22 with which the yarn 23 is engaged before being fed to the needle, said coil being adapted to tension said yarn.

The device therefore comprises a relatively long needle bar member having` at one end the needle and at the other end the angularly disposed handle, and a relatively short presser foot and looper blade member, of which the looper blade engages within the longitudinally hollow needle.

The body 23 of the needle is provided with lateral branches 24 of extended strong nature mounted upon the needle bar removably as will be explained, the body of the needle being of extended U-form in cross section. This U-form body of the needle has the lateral branches 9A; thereof provided with outturned base flanges 25, overlying the upper surface of the needle bar and held truly longtudinally aligned therewith by means of longitudinal flanges 26 of a boxing 27, the bottom 28 of which underlies the needle bar, and the forward flange 29 of which abuts against the forward or outer end of the needle bar and the rear end of which is provided with an upwardly extending spring tongue or blade 30, hereafter termed a blue blade and located within the` hollow body of the needle and at its forward end projecting beyond the same at 3l in contact with the lower surface of the point port-ion of the needle, said blue blade and the lower surface of the needle body and point forming a forwardly tapering guide passage, the side walls of which are formed by the lateral branches 24k of the needle body, and with which the looper blade in its reciprocation engages and by which it is guided in a straight path to force the blue blade away from the needle sufficiently to enable it (the looper blade) to pass into engagement with the fabricbase, the withdrawal of the looper blade from said fabric base and from between the blue blade and the needle causing the blue blade to be again brought into spring contact with the lower surface of the needle.

The blue blade having its forward end portion in spring contact with the lower surface of the needle, is carried into the fabric base with the needle point portion when the latter is engaged with the fabric base, as will appear.

The needle and the blue blade are removably held in position by means of a nut 33, overlying the base flanges 25 of the needle branches and located within transverse perforations Qa of said branches, said nut being threaded upon an adjustment screw 35, the

stem of which engages a perforation 36 of the bottom of the boxing 27, said screw also engaging a slot 32 of the needle bar for assembly purposes, and having threaded there on a jam nut 37 engaging the lower surface of the needle bar. Should the needle become worn or mutilated, it may be removed by disengagement of the screw 35 with the clamp nut 33, and replaced by a new one.

The adjustment screw 35 has a triple function in that it removably holds the needle in position and the blue blade and its boxing base in position, and further in that it underlies the blue blade and through adjustment serves to vary the length of step of the device between loops formed in the base fabric, owing to the fact that itV limits the downward spring movement of the blue blade which takes place in the stepping of the device between loops.

The yarn is fed or dragged from its sup ply source in the withdrawal of the presser foot and looper blade member from the fabric base, this movement of said member relatively to the needle bar being limited by engagement of its body flange 7 with a nut 38 threaded upon a screw 39, the latter having adjustment within a longitudinalslot 40 of the needle bar to vary the amount of yarn fed upon each reverse stroke of the presser foot and looper blade member.

rlthe coiled wire tension device 22 exerts a slight drag upon the yarn and at the same time keeps the yarn out of the way and causes the same to be guided into the eye of the needle always at the same angle. rlhe coiled wire tension device is adapted to have the yarn engaged therewith between the coils thereof from the side or laterally so that the yarn does not have to be threaded longitudinally of the coil.

In the operation of the device, the steps of procedure are as follows:

l. The yarn being` engaged with the tension device, the needle is threaded by having the yarn pushed through the eye thereof, the presser foot proper being in position just forward of the needle eye. Usually a wire threader 40 is used for this purpose, the end of the threader being grooved for effective engagement with the yarn, which is passed below the end of the needle bar. The handle 3 is now moved forwardly to engage the needle 4 with the fabric base, the blue blade working with and following up the needle into the same opening ini the fabric base as the needle, the needle bar or the branches 23 of the needle body or both, engaging the fabric base to limit the forward movement.

2. The combined presser foot and looper blade member is moved forwardly to engage the looper blade between the blue blade and the needle and feed the yarn into the fabric base in the form of a loop', which will eX- tend somewhat beyond the blue blade, inasmuch as the looper blade has a slight excess movement, the presser foot engaging the fabric base to limit its forward movement,

8. The needle and the blue blade are now vwithdrawn from the fabric base by rearward movement of the handle 3, leaving the looper blade in the loop of the fabric base, this movement being limited by contact of the lug 4l of the needle bar with the handle flange 9.

4. The handle 3 is moved upwardly as distinguished from the forward and back r-eciprocatory movement of the handle 3 previously referred to, the needle moving upwardly and stepping the distance between the loops, the blueblade remaining behind, owing to being so held against upward movement with the needle -by the looper blade, which also remains behind and in the fabric base, this engagement of the looper blade with the fabric base serving as a bearing against which the handle is moved upwardly as stated or ahead in following the pattern to bend and tension the looper blade and to make the step between the loops, the blue blade being also bent and tensioned simultaneously and also limiting the step as previously explained. The handle 3 angularly disposed at approximately l5 degrees tothe needle bar helps to throw the machine forward to make the next, step, as well as to make a more natural position for working so that the operator does not tire so easily. Note here the forward and back reciprocatory movement of the parts will hold good in most cases, as the fabric base is usually stretched in upright fashion in front of the worker, but the upward movement of the device or the steppingof the device ahead in following the pattern may be a lateral or other movement.

5. The handle 3 and the needle bar are again moved forwardly as in step No. l to engage the needle with a new position in the fabric base, the blue blade followingl the needle, but instead of engaging the same opening as does the needle as in step No. l the blue blade engages the loop first formed in the fabric base by the yarn. i. e. the needle and the blue blade engage respectively new loop and first loop formed in the fabric base, and the blue blade remains tensioned as before. In practice steps Nos. l and 5 are merged unconsciously by the worker.

6. The combined looper blade and presser foot member is withdrawn from the fabric base` whereupon the tensioned looper blade will snap upwardly to first or normal position adjacent the needle, the blue blade remaining tensioned in the first loop of the fabric as before. Note here, in this withdrawal of the combined looper blade and presser foot member, the yarn is fed from its supply source to provide yarn for the next loop` th-e flange l() of the body of said member engaging the nut 38 to limit the movement as already explained.

7. The combined looper blade and presser foot is again moved forwardlv into the fabric with the needle and blue blade still held in the fabric. to cause the looper blade ll to ride down the under side of the needle in its new position and form a new loop in the yarn, after which the needle and the blue blade are withdrawn with thev looper blade held in the fabric. y

55. The needle and the blue blade are withdrawn from thefabric base as in step No. 8, the tensioned blue blade snapping upwardly to first or normal position adjacent the looper blade.

It is found in practice that the mechanical advance of the presser foot to step the distance between the loops, as in my former patents` may be dispensed with, provided the entire device is moved upwardly as in step No. 4.

It is also found in practice that the adjustment of the feed of the yarn which takes place in the reverse stroke of the combined looper blade and presser foot member, said adjustment being accomplished by movement of the screw 39 in slot 40, will enable longer or shorter loops to be formed in the fabric base, without necessity for adjustment of the looper blade for this purpose, the reason being that when more yarn is provided for a longer loop, the loop fed into theV fabric base by thelooper blade while of the same length in all cases, yet will be more loosely tensioned, so that a strong frictional pressure being exerted upon the side of the loop in the fabric base by the tensioned blue blade as the looper blade is withdrawn from the loop and fabric, less of the yarn will be pulled back or stolen from the loop in said withdrawal than in the case where less yarn is provided for a shorter loop, due to less ten sion upon the yarn and the action of the blue blade just stated.

A modification of the invention is shown in Figures l0, 11 and 12 of the drawings` wherein similar parts are referred to by similar reference characters differentiated by the exponent l.

ln this modification, the presser foot 16 is formed of strap metal, pivoted in rear at 1 2a to the body 7', in a parallel flanged pivot piece l2 of said body, the spring 14C being riveted to and located within the parallel flanges of said pivot piece. The looper blade l1 is provided with a longitudinal slot 4l engaged bv a set screw 42, said looper blade being thereby adjustable for length to feed longer or shorter loops into the fabric base in those cases where it is desired to do so. the bluel blade acting as in the preferred form of the invention to prevent the looper blade from stealing yarn in the withdrawal from the loop, the result being in both preferred form and modification that the loops formed are more even in length, particularly when the looper blade ,is adiusted too long for the amount of yarn fed thereto in the withdrawal of the presser foot and looper blade member from the fabric.

An advantage of making the looper blade adiustable for length is that a greater variation in the length of the loops is thereby made possible.

In this modification the blue blade is provided with a fiat base 27, located between the base flanges of the needle and the needle bar, and having a central perforation 36 engaged by the clamp screw 35, said screw also engaging an open end slot 32 of the needle bar.

In this form of the invention the stepping of the device between loops is adjusted by means of a screw 43 having engagement with a threaded perforation of the root end of the presser foot, and contacting with the body 7 of the presser foot member to limit the step. The screw 43 has a nut 44 to fix the adjustment.

The retractive movement of the combined presser foot and looper blade member is adjustably, limited to vary the amount of yarn provided for longer or shorter loops by means of a slide 45 having longitudinal slot 46, engaged by set screw 47, engaging a threaded perforation of the bottom of the needle bar, said slide having a downturned rear lug or flange 48 contacting with the rea-r flange 10 of the body 7 to limit the movement of said body rearwardly.

In this form of the device, the tension means is changed somewhat, the wire thereof being held beneath the slotted rear end of the looper blade and having an upright post 49 around which the yarn is passed to form a bend therein before being fed to the needle.

The movement of withdrawal of the needle and needle bar occurring in step No. 3 is limited by contact of screw 47 with handle flange 10.

ln the main form of the invention there is a total stroke of the device represented by the distance between the bottom lug 4l of the needle bar and the nut 38 of screw 39 minus the length of body 7, the. end flanges of which engage respectively said lug and said nut to limit the movement in both directions, this total stroke being divided up into one forward stroke of the needle and needle bar and one backward stroke of the combined presser foot and looper blade member and vice versa in the operation of the device.

ln the modification of the invention the same is true.

By the. use ofV the improved device, operating as stated, the stroke of the device is reduced one half, although the total stroke remains the same as in the case of the devices of my prior patents. As a result also of the improvements, the structure of the device is much simplified, economy of manufacture increased, and the weaving operation rendered easier and more expeditious to the worker.

I claim l.V In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which carries a needle and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, said needle carrying member having a loop engaging blade remaining in the loop in the fabric during the retraction of the looper blade from the same loop in the fabric.

2. ln a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which carries a needle and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, said needle being movable transversely relative to the looper blade in the stepping of the device between loops, said needle carrying member having a loop engaging blade remaining in the loop in the fabric during the retraction of the looper blade from the same loop in the fabric, said looper blade and said loop engaging blade being both tensioned in the transverse movement of the needle.

3. ln a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which has a needle bar carrying at one end a needle and at the other end a handle angularly disposed at approximately forty five degrees to said bar, and the other of said members carrying a presser foot and a looper blade.

4. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which has a needle bar carrying at one end a needle and at the other end a handle, and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, saidf needle having lateral spaced body branches having` transverse slots and base flanges, a clamping nut engaging said slots and base flanges, and a removable securing screw engaging said nut, said needle being movable transversely relative to the looper blade.

5. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which has a needle bar carrying at one end a needle and a loop engaging blade and at the other end a handle and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, said needle having lateral spaced body branches secured to said needle bar and being movable transversely relative to the looper blade and loop engaging blade.

6. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each yslidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of lwhich has a needle bar carrying at one end a needle and a loop engaging blade and at the other end a handle, and the other of which carries a presser foot and a .looper blade, said needle having lateral spacedvbody branches `having transverse slots and base flanges,

said loop engaging blade having its forward end located close to the needle and being thence inclined rearwardly towards and having a base resting upon said needle bar,'a clamping nut engaging said slots and base flanges, and varernovable securing screw engaging said nut.

7. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which has a needle bar carrying at one end a needle and a loop engaging blade and at the other end a handle, and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, and means for aligning said loop engaging blade and said needle with respect to each other and to said needle bar.

8. In a machine for Working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which has a needle bar carrying at one end a needle and a loop engaging blade and at the other end a handle, and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, and means including a boxing base of said loop engaging blade having parallel flanges embracing the forward end of said needle bar and the body of said needle for aligning said loop engaging blade and said needle with respect to each other and to said needle bar.

9. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which has a needle bar carrying at one end a needle and a loop engaging blade and at the other end a handle, and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, said needle having lateral spaced body branches having base flanges, said loop engaging blade having a base boxing provided with lateral parallel fianges embracing the forward end of the needle bar and said base flanges to align the needle with respect to the loop engaging blade and the needle bar.

10. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which has a slotted needle bar carrying at one end a needle and a loop engaging blade and at the other end a handle and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, said needle having lateral spaced body branches having transverse slots and base flanges, 00

said loop engaging blade engaging the slot of said needle bar and having a perforated base boxing provided with parallel hanges embracing the forward end of the needle bar and said base flanges to align the needle with respect to the loop engaging blade and the yneedle bar, a clamping nut engaging said transverse slots and base flanges, and a removable securing screw engaging said nut and the perforation of said boxing.

1l. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which carries a needle and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, the last vnamed member having a body provided with end flanges having slots engaging the needle bar, one of said end flanges being extended to form a handle, the presser foot being formed of wire having parallel branches the rear ends of which are downturned close to said handle flange and provided with parallel rear extensions engaging perforations of said flanges, the rear ends of said extensions being upturned close p to the other flange, one of said extensions being longer than the other and coiled to form a tension device for the yarn.

12. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which carries a needle and a loop engaging blade and the other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, said needle being movable transversely relative to the looper blade and the loop engaging blade in the stepping of the device between loops, and means engaging said loop engaging blade to limit the stepping movement.

13. In a machine for working loops in rugs having a fabric base, two members each slidable and longitudinally reciprocatory upon the other and one of which carries a needle and a loop engaging blade andthe other of which carries a presser foot and a looper blade, said needle being movable transversely relative to the looper blade and the loop engaging blade in the stepping of lthe device between loops, andan adjustable screw device for securing the needle and the loop engaging blade in position and the screw of which lengages said loop engaging blade to adjustably limit the stepping 1novement.

In testimony whereof I afhx my signature.

JOHN n. ennnnrr. 

